Companion planting – why your veggies need friends

Companion planting means growing certain plants close together for their mutually beneficial effects, such as pest protection or growth enhancement. Bedding companions allow you to have your desired harvest flourishing bug free and eco-friendly with little other effort required from you. Here’s what to plant and reasons why your veggie needs a companion.

Reinventing the veggie patch

We often think of a veggie garden as produce sown in neat rows, exposed soil and clear of any other plants not on the menu. It might be the time to revise this idea. There is so much to benefit from including other herbs and flowers to the veggie garden, which take care of pest control, weeds, water evaporation, poor soil conditions, composting, barren spaces and of course, pollination. Consider the idea of starting a ‘mixed masala patch’, if you will and venture beyond the concept of a ‘vegetables only’ party.

Friends with benefits

Although you’re going for a ‘mixed masala patch’, it should be mentioned that not all plants like each other and some can be picky about who they bunk with. Your plant nursery will be able to advise you on the best companion for your plants, but for now, here are some general companions of vegetables with no strings attached benefits.

Natural pest controllers: Plants such as lavender (for fleas), basil (for flies), citronella grass and rosemary (for mosquitoes), as well as chrysanthemum (for spider mites), repel a variety of insects owing to their essential oil compounds and deterring scent. You can sporadically plant these in and around the veggie garden as long as they are in close range of the greens.

Essential pollinators: Your harvest needs the bees and they need us. Create a flower border around your veggie garden and bring in the friendly flyers to pollinate and spread seeds. Try marigolds, alyssum and cool-season vygies, as well as allowing all herbs to come to flower.

Remember to include a freshwater source for the helpers with a way to get in and out too.

Soil structure activists: Companion plants also help improve poor soil conditions by adding lacking nutrients. Comfrey (Symphytum) roots break up heavy clay and create channels for aeration and better water absorption, while also releasing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium into the soil.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a valuable compost heap activator, while also stimulating the soil’s nutrient value as leaves fall off and decompose in the veggie patch.

Beauty filters: Veggies on-the-grow are already such a lovely sight, as is each one of the above-mentioned budding companions. For a pretty sight, pollination benefits and insect repellent power, try cosmos, nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), sunflowers and sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus). Make space for these plants in preparation for spring/ summer planting.

Companion planting

Some plants are incompatible while others are the perfect match. Here is a guide to companion planting to get you started on your plant bedding.

• Carrots

Good: Basil, chives, lettuce, onions and peas.

Bad: Broccoli, cabbage, dill, fennel and potatoes.

• Swiss chard 

Good: Beetroot, beans, cabbage, celery and green peppers.

Bad: Grapes, potatoes and sage.

• Beans

Good: Beetroot, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber and maize.

Bad: Dill, fennel and all members of the onion family.

• Celery

Good: Beans, broccoli, cabbage, leeks and tomatoes.

Bad: Nothing, this one’s easy.

• Cabbage

Good: Beetroot, celery, chives, dill and onions.

Bad: Mustard plants, strawberries, tomatoes and grapes.

Avoid harsh chemicals and keep your garden’s eco-system flourishing and beneficial to the entire food chain. Reinventing the veggie patch is easy when you choose the best companion for your planters.